Recovery is all about change. If you are suffering from addiction, depression, anxiety or just finding life overwhelming, I hope to make a difference in your world. To be yourself is to become yourself.

Sunday, 9 September 2012

Interview With A Fellow Blogger - Who Is It?

This is the person who is likely to achieve what is good and lasting.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I chose to interview Retha Groenewald, not only because she is one of my blogging buddies, but she shows determination throughout the challenge by never failing to ask questions and asking for help.

Although Retha is not in the same niche that I am in, although I am a very spiritual person, she believes strongly in her topics and in her own way is also trying to make the world a better place.

Let us see what she had to say …………….

1.Your first comment on my blog was on the elevator pitch and you said you enjoyed the words “Recovery is all about change”.Can you explain why?

Those 5 words are so profound. You can write a book on those words. Recovery to me means that a person has been in a situation (physical, emotional, spiritual), that needs to change. Most of the times we recover from something bad. Something that will kill, steal, destroy us or someone that is precious to us. To get out of that situation we need to make a choice, which begins the domino effect of change. It reminds me of when we repent, it is a change of direction, and we move in the opposite direction.

I said I enjoyed those words because they bring hope. One tiny change like going left instead of right,a thought or decision can bring total recovery and restoration.

2.We are the only two bloggers in the challenge that come from South Africa.

Yes, awesome and both from the sea

(a)Have you always lived here?

Yes, except when I was 10 we lived in USA for a year. That was wonderful.

(b)What do you love about our country?

Everything, we are truly a rainbow country, we have different seasons, nature differs from area to area, different cultures, we have everything. I live in Cape Town where you can have all four seasons in one day. I really don’t know how to answer this except to say I think our country is the most beautiful country in the world. I love SA.

I am passionate about the Word of God. I decided to go with multiple blogs, each with its own niche, instead of one blog with different niches. My reason is that although the target market could be the same in both sites, the niches do differ. Discover Bible Treasures is a site where the heroes and heroines go on Biblical journeys, with quizzes and puzzles for them to solve. Bible Fascination is a site where we do Bible study to get to know the Bible better and to apply it in our lives. Both sites are about getting to know the Bible better but in different ways. Discover Bible Treasures is for the child in you that likes games and puzzles and adventure. Bible Fascination is a more serious approach. Here you find Bible Study / Devotional, for example, of the Gospels in chronological order.

The purpose of both sites are to awaken the love for the Word of God and having a closer relationship with God.

(c)What was the most difficult assignment in the challenge so far and why?

Leaving my computer to go on a field trip, no just kidding. Finding a forum to take part in is the most difficult. There are many forums out there, but because I am new to the blogging world (started blogging in June this year), and I am not sure what my niche is exactly (whether it is Bible Study, devotional, Christian living, personal growth quiz, puzzle, etc), I am not sure where to look. (Thought of starting a forum on my DBT blog, but not sure how)

4.What do you think are the differences between Religion and Spirituality?

Wow, difficult question. I believe Jesus hated religion, because the religious spirit defined holiness with works whereas we know without our Saviour we are nothing and we cannot be saved with our works or how good we are. Jesus is the only way that we can be saved. Therefore I believe in a personal relationship with my Lord and Saviour. (sounds like I am preaching).

5.You have just written an ebook.Can you tell us more about it?

(a)What inspired you to write a book?

I believe it is part of my calling and the road God has set me upon.

(b)What is it about?

The eBook is called “Teach the Word” and it is about teaching the Word of God. It is short and to the point, a guideline.The eBook tells us about some of the teachers in the Old Testament, Jesus the Teacher and the Holy Spirit that teaches us. The teaching methods Jesus used are also mentioned. It also touches on the responsibilities of the learner.

The book is a Kindle Edition, but you can download it even if you do not have a Kindle. There is a free Kindle reader you can download from the Kindle site for all gadgets.

(d)What difficulties did you encounter with the writing or publishing process?

The whole process was new to me,and some of the things I am still wondering about. My greatest difficulty was the formatting for Kindle and getting the images right (due to lack of knowledge). Oh yes and the cover. But the easy part is when you have overcome these difficulties and press publish.

(e)What advice can you give to others who are thinking of writing an ebook?

Write it, if you are thinking about it, you have a message that the readers want to hear.

6.Do you see blogging and/or writing as a future career?

Absolutely, blogging was the door that opened the first step on this new adventure.

So show some support by visiting Retha’s website and checking out her ebook – you never know how much you may learn.Thank you Retha for answering my questions and keep on writing. Here is one of my favourite prayers to share with you, our 11th Step prayer in AA:

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me a channel of thy peace - that where there is hatred, I may bring love - that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness - that where there is discord, I may bring harmony - that where there is error, I may bring truth - that where there is doubt, I may bring faith - that where there is despair, I may bring hope - that where there are shadows, I may bring light - that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved, as to love; for it is in the giving that we receive; it is in the pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.